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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Legal Research

47 Ranked Colleges
153 Degrees Awarded
$71,104 Avg Salary
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 6,874 people earned their degree in legal research, making the major the 114th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, legal research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $66,544 and had an average of $26,000 in loans still to pay off.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 153 legal research graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major” ranking analyzed 47 colleges that offered a degree in legal research. That schools that top this list have a program in legal research in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree legal research students.

1
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Widener University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major. Chester, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s legal research degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Widener Legal Research Report

2
Golden Gate University - San Francisco crest
Golden Gate University - San Francisco
San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Golden Gate University - San Francisco. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s legal research degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Research at Golden Gate University - San Francisco

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Case Western Reserve University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major. Case Western is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 20 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Legal Research at Case Western Reserve University

4
STU crest
St. Thomas University
Miami Gardens, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend St. Thomas University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major. Located in Miami Gardens, Florida, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s legal research students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Legal Research at STU

5
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major list. Yale University is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Legal Research at Yale University

6
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Wake Forest University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Research at Wake Forest University

7
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Legal Research at Indiana University - Bloomington

8
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

Washington University in St Louis ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 6 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Legal Research at WUSTL

9
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking, coming in at #9. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s legal research degrees to qualified students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Stanford University Legal Research Report

10
University at Buffalo crest
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York

University at Buffalo came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking. University at Buffalo is a large school located in Buffalo, New York that handed out 9 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Research at University at Buffalo

11
Pace University crest
Pace University - New York
New York, New York

Pace University - New York landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s legal research degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Research at Pace University - New York

12
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major list. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Harvard Legal Research Report

13
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

Emory University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking, coming in at #13. Emory is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s legal research degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Legal Research at Emory

14
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

With a ranking of #14, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major list. University of Kansas is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 4 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Legal Research at University of Kansas

15
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Duke University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking, coming in at #15. Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s legal research degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Legal Research at Duke University

16
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s legal research students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Legal Research Report

17

University of California - Berkeley landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UC Berkeley Legal Research Report

18
Tulane crest
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana

With a ranking of #18, Tulane University of Louisiana did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major list. New Orleans, Louisiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s legal research degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read full report on Legal Research at Tulane University of Louisiana

19
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking, coming in at #19. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 3 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Research at University of Virginia - Main Campus

20
UA crest
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The University of Alabama landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking. UA is a large school located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that handed out 3 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Research at The University of Alabama

21
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Georgetown University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking, coming in at #21. Georgetown University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 2 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Research at Georgetown University

22

Southern Methodist University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking. Southern Methodist University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Research at SMU

23
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s legal research degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Legal Research at University of Florida

24
The American University crest
American University
Washington, District of Columbia

American University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking. American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 1 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Research at American University

25

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Legal Research Major ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 3 doctorate’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Research at UW - Madison

Notes and References

References

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